A Reluctant Culture Warrior

For some time I’ve been trying to write a blog about the culture wars we now seem to be facing, but I’ve found it really difficult. The truth is, for this pastor and church planter, in a small town in the north west of England it’s just really frustrating and difficult to navigate. It feels like the best I can do is note some of the issues I feel I’m facing.

1. What I used to consider as something that was a phenomenon of the US has increasingly become an issue in the UK, but they’re not the same. I used to look at the very politicised situation in the US over things like abortion and ‘family values’ and couldn’t see a parallel in the UK. The closest I can think of was Mary Whitehouse and that was a while back now. But now we see the culture wars constantly in the secular media. For example, I’m currently reading Douglas Murray’s book the Madness of the Crowds, which is all about the culture wars from a British perspective. Furthermore, we see the culture wars crossing the Atlantic (think of George Floyd and Black Lives Matter for example) and yet our context and culture is different.
2. I have no doubt that the culture wars have come to the church. We are seeing it particularly in the areas of sexuality and gender. We recently had someone at the door of our church meeting asking what we were doing (we meet in a Scout Hut, so it’s not necessarily obvious!). When I explained, her first question was about sexuality. I asked why and it was because she was gay and had been told churches were dangerous places for gay people. Sexuality is probably one of the more clearly defined areas. However, we’re also seeing questions around race, class, abuse, misogyny and so on. These are much more to fore of people’s minds than, say 10 years ago.
3. The range of issues is bewildering and the linkage between them complex. If I’m honest I can’t keep up. I don’t understand Critical Race Theory. I’m not on top of the latest research on transgender. I’m not fully trauma aware. I haven’t worked out unconscious bias. It’s worth saying this makes me a bit suspicious too. I wonder if all the very confidently expressed opinions that I see (Christian and secular) are really as well informed as they suggest.
4. These issues (and the links between them) just aren’t the same from a Christian perspective. I get some of the links drawn between, for example, race and sexuality, but because my overarching narrative is based on the Bible, an overarching narrative that has been largely rejected in my culture, I feel constantly at odds when trying to navigate what my culture is saying. My framework clashes persistently with the framework surrounding me. 
5. I hate all the division. I see it in society. I’ve lived in areas known for their problems with racism, sexual abuse and poverty for quite a while now. That in itself can grind you down, but when you layer this stuff on top... I’m not sure that the direction we’re travelling as a society is helping much and if it actually stokes the division then the consequences will probably be felt disproportionately in my area and similar areas.
6. The division is being felt keenly in the church (by which I broadly mean evangelicals in this case). In my teens and twenties the church felt quite divided in particular by the Charismatic Movement. For some years I was encouraged to see greater unity on the gospel, Scripture and mission. That seems to have fallen apart over the last few years. Again it may be the case that the US has led the way and things are usually not as bad as Twitter would make out, but it still feels that at exactly the time we could do to unite as evangelicals to offer truth and hope to our world we have fragmented.

This is just a list of some of the issues I see and of course, we must not despair. Jesus is King and he will build his church. We live to seek first his kingdom and glorify God. His victory is secure, culture wars or not. So, while I find these reflections sad, they are not ultimate and I must not see them as such!